Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
Nice looking rig! What type spray heads did you use?
I never could get a water heater element to thread into a 1" fitting. Instead, I used a 1 1/4" electrical conduit nut and added some RTV sealant. I understand it has something to do with a straight pitch vs tapered pitch. How did this work for you?
What type pump are you going to use for the recirculating? With the atmospheric evaporator I have, the water removal goes up with temperature quite dramatically.
Any way to add a small fan to the 5" inspection/clean out port? A small squirrel cage fan would be great.
Todd
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2002 F-250 Lariat, PSD, CC, short bed, 3.73, auto tranny, Line-X bed liner, AFE Filter, HX crossover, intake heater delete, Evans NGC+, Dieselsite 203 thermostat, coolant filter, Amsoil by-pass filter, Schaeffer's synthetic blend tranny fluid, Bob Riley's tranny filter, Velvet Ride shackles, Rancho 9000 shocks with in-cab adjustment, 60 gallon aux tank for burning heated WVO, burning veggie since fall of '04.
Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
I used water saving spray heads from Home Depot. The water heater element worked just fine on the 1" bushing. There are galvanized bushings from the electrical dept. at Lowe's. I bet they are straight pitch. I will use the cheap 1" water pump from Harbor Freight. We tested a drum like this one last weekend and it did not have an inspection door, it only had a 2" in diameter hole on the top. We dried 50 gals of Bio is 2 hours with no fan. I might have to use a small fan in the winter months, I will find out soon enough.
__________________
<font color="blue">2004 F-250 6.0L V8 Powerstroke 4x2 Lariat
<font color="red">AMS<font color="blue">OIL Series 3000 5W-30 Heavy Duty Diesel Synthetic Oil
<font color="red">AMS<font color="blue">OIL BMK-11/BE-100 Bypass Oil Filter
<font color="red">AMS<font color="blue">OIL Severe Gear 75W-140 in Rear Axle
XM SkyFi2 Satellite Radio
[i]"You can lead a horse to water but you can not make him drink."[i]</font>
Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
Nice craftsmanship! I presume you're heating the biodiesel to make drying time shorter? Is there a thermostat on the heater? Do you think you need one? Thanks!
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If you don't have anything to do, get a used diesel and a camper!
Truck 1: 1985 F350 dually 4WD 6.9 diesel crew cab auto with 83k original miles. C6 trans, 4.10 rear end. Mods are Banks Turbo, US Gear overdrive, 45gal rear tank, hydroboost brakes, additional leaf springs all around, Hellwig airbags, rear sway bar, GM glowplug controller, fuel Koalescer. 235/85 R16 Michelin XB Rib radials. 11ft.6in Vacationeer cabover camper, TorkLift tiedowns.
Truck 2: 1988 F250 7.3, C6 auto, 2WD w/3.55 limited slip rear axle, Banks Sidewinder Turbo, Gear Vendors overdrive, Utility box, hydraulic lift gate, lumber rack.
Auto: 1987 MBZ 300D Turbo 3.0 Liter 6 cylinder engine. 205K miles. Working on all the "little things" that previous owner neglected. Putting in wvo tank.
Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
Thanks. Yes the heating is just to dry faster. I am not using a thermostat, but it could be added to the design. All I want is to heat the oil to about 100 degrees and let the spraying dry the oil. As soon as the oil heats up I will disconect the heater element and let the pump run.
__________________
<font color="blue">2004 F-250 6.0L V8 Powerstroke 4x2 Lariat
<font color="red">AMS<font color="blue">OIL Series 3000 5W-30 Heavy Duty Diesel Synthetic Oil
<font color="red">AMS<font color="blue">OIL BMK-11/BE-100 Bypass Oil Filter
<font color="red">AMS<font color="blue">OIL Severe Gear 75W-140 in Rear Axle
XM SkyFi2 Satellite Radio
[i]"You can lead a horse to water but you can not make him drink."[i]</font>
Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
This looks like a sealed unit except for the inspection plate/port. I use an open top drum with basically the same set up but added a whole house filer. It seems being sealed would not help much with the drying but maybe I'm way off base here. I know I get a lot of misting once this thing gets going so I hang sheets around the immediate area. I dry about 25-30 gal in about 4 hours. How long with the closed system?
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08 F350 King Ranch LB, SRW, Black&Gold/373 gears, 20" tires, everything but a backup camera. Adding Firestone air bags & Tork Lift tie downs. Still Stock & liking it.
01 F350 4x4 off road pkg, auto w/373 gears, Lariet SRW Midnite blue. Dueler AT tires, 4 inch HOG SS exhaust with 5 1/2 " tip. Rancho 9000 shocks, Firestone Air Bags, HOG guages, Lance 1130 camper and 19' Lowe Roughneck
Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
I was thinking the same thing. Being that the drum has a closed top wouldnt the water droplets just collect on the inside of the lid then just fall back into the fuel ? I use an open top drying drum and I can watch the water vapor rise out of the drum.
Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
[ QUOTE ]
I was thinking the same thing. Being that the drum has a closed top wouldnt the water droplets just collect on the inside of the lid then just fall back into the fuel ?
[/ QUOTE ]
YES!
My drier has 1/2 of the top hinged, last batch I was drying I forgot to leave it open. When I opened it to check on the progress, the inside of the lid was full of water droplets.
GOtta have a way for the condensated water to disapate.
Rick H...
__________________ Omaha Metro Powerstroke Diesel Club
Pres Omaha Metro PSD Club Biodiesel Calculator
HIS
96 F250 4x4 auto super cab.
TS 4 Pos Chip, addaLeaf, Boss 8'-6" plow, , DIY AIC, Tymar DP, gutted EBPV, JS IDM, Tymar Intake, 4" Open exhaust, trio a-pillar gauges + 6 overhead gauges. TruCool 4590 Tran Cooler. On board air with dual horns. 4 corner strobes. AC mod with Twist, ISSPro Turbo Temp Monitor, Power Pedel mod, turbo ped mod, Warn Lock-outs, Swamps 175/173 99 IC & GTS Pipe Kit,Snow Performance Water/Meth inj (NOT hooked up!), chicken to use it!
Garmin GPS,Toughbook Laptop, All Mode Ham Radio.
HERS
97 F250 CC SWB 100% stock and going to stay that way! I lied, Shimmed, Tymar Intake. I lied again, kat dead! More lies.. 3" DP, Gutted EBPV, Turbo Pedistal Mod. Dyno'd 263 hp [color:"RED"] RDRCM#20 [/color]
Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
The lid will be open while drying. If I get condensation I will add more ventilation. We did not have any problems on our first run but humidity was low that day. We dried Bio in 3 hours. The idea behind this design is to prevent misting everything in my garage with Bio.
__________________
<font color="blue">2004 F-250 6.0L V8 Powerstroke 4x2 Lariat
<font color="red">AMS<font color="blue">OIL Series 3000 5W-30 Heavy Duty Diesel Synthetic Oil
<font color="red">AMS<font color="blue">OIL BMK-11/BE-100 Bypass Oil Filter
<font color="red">AMS<font color="blue">OIL Severe Gear 75W-140 in Rear Axle
XM SkyFi2 Satellite Radio
[i]"You can lead a horse to water but you can not make him drink."[i]</font>
Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
How are you testing for dryness?
What about having the exhaust ducted to a catch basin? I'm thinking of a 2" or 4" PVC pipe, up and over to where it is pointing down and with an air filter clamped onto it. This would keep the mist inside but would give the moist air a place to drain. Just an idea...
An industrial atmospheric evaporator has a screen inside to keep the mist contained. Essentially, it is like a Texas-sized brillo pad. It is open enough for air to escape but dense enough to catch any mists. I've got some rolls of scotchbrite type non-metallic abrasive that I'm going to test with. My scotchbrite is 26" wide by 225' long... worth a test.
If you have a small exhaust port, try one or more pieces of scotchbrite.
Todd
__________________
2002 F-250 Lariat, PSD, CC, short bed, 3.73, auto tranny, Line-X bed liner, AFE Filter, HX crossover, intake heater delete, Evans NGC+, Dieselsite 203 thermostat, coolant filter, Amsoil by-pass filter, Schaeffer's synthetic blend tranny fluid, Bob Riley's tranny filter, Velvet Ride shackles, Rancho 9000 shocks with in-cab adjustment, 60 gallon aux tank for burning heated WVO, burning veggie since fall of '04.
Re: Methanol drum converted to Biodiesel drying tank
[ QUOTE ]
An industrial atmospheric evaporator has a screen inside to keep the mist contained.
[/ QUOTE ]
Would it not also contain the moisture?
I do not mist, it is just to much of a mess all the way around. I use a splash plate inside the barrel.
The BD is pumped out the bottom of the barrel across the top through a water seperator and a 5 mocron filter than back into the drum where is falls on a plate with alot of hoels drilled in it. I sized the pump so that the flow was not to violent.
With heat, it will dry 40 gal of BD in about an 1 1/2 hours with one stop for cleaning water seperator out.
Rick H...
__________________ Omaha Metro Powerstroke Diesel Club
Pres Omaha Metro PSD Club Biodiesel Calculator
HIS
96 F250 4x4 auto super cab.
TS 4 Pos Chip, addaLeaf, Boss 8'-6" plow, , DIY AIC, Tymar DP, gutted EBPV, JS IDM, Tymar Intake, 4" Open exhaust, trio a-pillar gauges + 6 overhead gauges. TruCool 4590 Tran Cooler. On board air with dual horns. 4 corner strobes. AC mod with Twist, ISSPro Turbo Temp Monitor, Power Pedel mod, turbo ped mod, Warn Lock-outs, Swamps 175/173 99 IC & GTS Pipe Kit,Snow Performance Water/Meth inj (NOT hooked up!), chicken to use it!
Garmin GPS,Toughbook Laptop, All Mode Ham Radio.
HERS
97 F250 CC SWB 100% stock and going to stay that way! I lied, Shimmed, Tymar Intake. I lied again, kat dead! More lies.. 3" DP, Gutted EBPV, Turbo Pedistal Mod. Dyno'd 263 hp [color:"RED"] RDRCM#20 [/color]
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